Head to head
Relay vs Novo
Both platforms are scored with the same methodology and the same category rubric. Nothing on this page is influenced by advertising.
60/100Higher score | 55/100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Category rank | #3 | #6 |
| Confidence | High confidence | High confidence |
| External Reputation | 82 | 74 |
| AI Authority | 29 | 29 |
| Web Authority | 68 | 63 |
| Expert Assessment | 54 | 49 |
| TOP10 User Score | — | — |
| Pricing | USD $30/month (Grow, 14-day trial) · free tier: Starter — $0/month with no time limit and no monthly maintenance fees: 20 checking accounts, 1.11% APY on savings, 1% credit card cash back, 50 credit and debit cards, unlimited users, invoicing, accounting integrations, built-in spend controls | $0/month · free tier: Full business checking account with $0 monthly maintenance fee, no minimum balance, $0 standard ACH, and free invoicing, bookkeeping and reserve accounts |
| Pricing model | Freemium subscription (paid tiers) plus per-transaction fees | Freemium |
| Best for | US small businesses at any size up to roughly $1M+ revenue that want to physically separate money across many checking accounts for Profit First or envelope budgeting, work with a bookkeeper on QuickBooks Online or Xero, and need spend controls across many cardholders — provided they maintain a second banking relationship for payroll and wires. | Digital-first, low-cash-volume US small businesses — freelancers, consultants, agencies and e-commerce sellers — that want free checking plus invoicing in one place, keep balances well under $250,000, and maintain a second banking relationship as a backstop. |
| Avoid if | You cannot survive a multi-week freeze on operating capital, depend on high-volume or time-critical international wires, need point-of-sale functionality, require contractual support SLAs or a named account manager, want deposit insurance at the institution you bank with directly, or are choosing primarily on per-transaction cost. | You handle cash (restaurants, salons, retail, trades), cannot survive a multi-week loss of access to operating funds, hold more than $250,000, need heavy or cheaply priced wires, or want Novo as your only banking relationship. |
| Markets | SMB, Solopreneurs and startups, Small and medium teams, Large teams, Accountants and bookkeepers | SMB, Freelancers and sole proprietors, E-commerce sellers, Professional services |
| Founded | — | — |
| Headquarters | — | — |
A higher TOP SCORE means more of the evidence favours that platform on this methodology — it is not a recommendation, and it does not account for your specific requirements. Advertisers are never declared the winner of a comparison.